FLONASE® compensated me in connection with statements made in this post.

When we moved to Texas 6 years ago, I knew it would feel a bit “country” compared to our Los Angeles neighborhood. I expected it; I welcomed it! But what I wasn’t prepared for….was Texas wildflower season! Oh my, oh my.

Among the boots, BBQ joints, and food truck explosion, no one had told me about springtime in Texas! There are red poppies, blue bonnets, indian paint brush, weeds that belong in a vase. It’s like a small-town fairy tale, where you get to eat brisket at the end and wear dresses with floppy sleeves.

This little top is a version of the Bateau Top, with flutter sleeves that I sort of threw together. You can see the shape of my pattern piece below. I love how it turned out and how soft the fabric is.

So when it came time for taking photos of the skirts, I did it like a true Texan—in a field of flowers. Cause that’s what you do during wildflower season—gather your whole family, sit in a field, and snap pics, even if you’re on the side of the highway, or in a stranger’s yard. People take pictures ANYWHERE the flowers are popping up.

So we found a gorgeous field.

Tromped around,

Shimmied and shaked

Directed traffic?

and just enjoyed the scenery.

Which leads me to point #3….

3. There is actually a downside to the gorgeous views. Allergies.

Yep. Austin may not have earthquakes or hurricanes, but we have giant critters and plenty of allergens….which….I guess happens in different parts of the world. But I never really understood seasonal allergies till I lived here long enough to experience them myself. Because that’s what everyone says—even if you’ve never had allergies before, they’ll creep up on you. Ahhhh.

Casey got tested for allergies (he’s allergic to every plant, grass, and tree in Texas). I got tested (I’m allergic to Oak and Pecan). And even poor Lucy has problems with Oak.

I was about to delete this photo from my post till I noticed that IN this very picture, she’s having an allergy attack. Poor girl.

The itchy eyes and nose. You want to reach down and scratch your nasal passage with a pumice stone. Ugh.

So. Here’s the upside.

This is what I recommend to any friend who asks “what to do I do about my allergies??” And I should note, you don’t have to be allergy tested to use this. It’s over-the-counter.

And it’s the same thing my doctor always recommends to me….and the reason I was excited when Flonase contacted me to partner with them on this post. Because I was already using their product.

Yep! Once a day, every day when you are experiencing allergy symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, and itchy, watery eyes. Use as directed. And use it consistently.

In fact, consistency is the key. The nasal spray provides relief from allergy symptoms (and has a really pleasant scent btw). I used to forget to use it for days at a time, till my doctor gave me the good idea to keep it near my car keys or something that I have to reach for every day. And now I never forget.

It’s kind of funny when Lucy (8 years old) who uses Children’s Flonase Allergy Relief and I with my Flonase for adults, do our sprays together. But hey, a family that sprays together?

…can enjoy the flowers together!

And spend a little more time doing this.

Here’s to a sneeze-free season my friends!

What are you allergic from? Tell me in the comments below and you will be entered in a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

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Flonase is great! I’m allergic to Mississippi. Claritin worked for a while, then stopped. Zyrtec worked for a while, then stopped. Nearly two years ago I finally got up the courage to try Flonase (originally I was nervous about using a spray), and it is FANTASTIC!!! It’s been great for me. I’m on the generic prescription version now because it is cheaper, but I whole-heartedly recommend Flonase.

Wonderful post! I feel like every year I have more and more allergies – the beautiful 40 foot oak tree in my yard, the wild daylillies, grass, basically the whole of “outside”. I complained to my doctor for years about my allergies and she’s always tried to prescribe maintenance pills that make me groggy all day and have horrible side effects. My doctor told me about flonase 3 months ago and it’s helped a lot. I didn’t realize how hard a time I was having breathing and I sleep so much better now.

I don’t know what I’m currently allergic to–besides Dallas–but when I was a kid in Missouri I was tested, and among lots of other stuff, I was allergic to timothy grass, which we all thought was absolutely hilarious because my brother’s name is Timothy. 🙂

Who knows what I’m allergic to? Life, I guess. But my babe is allergic to the neighbor’s pine trees; and about this time every year, it’s red, puffy eyes and a runny nose for DAYS… P.S. I used Flonase when it first came out as a prescription product!

We are allergic to dust mites, weeds, pollen and pet dander. We have to keep our house really clean and use a air purifier. And when the symptoms get really bad we use Flonase. It the only over the counter medication that works.

Beer. No, I’m not kidding. I have no idea WHAT in beer I’m allergic to but I had multiple vary heinous experiences based on drinking less than a shot glass worth. Not worth my trouble. Thanks for the chance!

Cut grass gets me but it’s really my husband and daughter who suffer most from allergies — everything from dust mites and mold to tree pollen, grass and weeds. My kid gets about 1 month of relief before it starts all over again. She uses Flonase with another spray and likes the rose scent.

Ha! I have two pages of allergies. Environmental, chemical, AND food. I always use flonase for my environmental, which means I take it every day, every season, of every year! Seriously. I have no idea what I would do without it.

I’ve had terrible allergies all of my life!! I’m allergic to pretty much all pollen, dust, and cats. I started using Flonase a few years ago, and I love it!! I’ve been using it everyday for the last few years.

tomatoes of all things so flonase won’t help, but flonase is what my son’s allergist recommended for him…grass, cedar(which as you know is huge for your area…I am in College Station), ragweed,cats, and most of all dust mites. The Flonase really does seem to make a difference.

I lived my first 21 yrs in the Chicago area and never suffered allergies (except penicillin). I did my student teaching in Texas and got a job there immediately after graduation. It’d been over 10 yrs now and with each season and year comes new and profoundly worse allergies! We’re talking cedar, pollen the list goes on and on and on! At this point my life is FLONASE ????

Living in Kansas, I suffered through ragweed season in the fall for decades. I finally went through allergy testing and shots and it has made a world of difference! I went from 3 medications and an inhaler to two. I am allergic to ragweed and spring pollen. My kids are starting to show allergy symptoms and Flonase has helped them this season.

I’m allergic to nearly everything. Dogs, cats, dust, trees, etc, etc. I am using an expensive nasal spray right now so may have to try Flonase again. (I’m pretty sure I may have tried it at one time). I also take Singulair which helps me a lot.

I am allergic to Orlando, FL. Unfortunately for that, I moved here 7 years ago. Fortunately for me, the ocean clears me up and we are only 45 minutes away 🙂 I take Singulair which helps me alot, as well as an old style sinus medication.

Never tried Flonase, but I’ll keep that in mind for future attacks. I’m highly allergic to mountain cedar, which is mainly found in TX/OK (I grew up near Dallas). Now that I live in TN, my allergies are pretty much smooth sailing! However, I do still have minor reactions to other grass, trees, etc.

I’m highly allergic to dust mites, pollen and birch trees. I never had a problem till I moved to my current state, now I get terrible ear infections if I don’t take Claritin and Flonase daily year round. Allergies are killer!

I don’t know why, but I’ve never had allergy testing done, even though I was on prescription allergy meds for awhile. By experience, though, I’d say I’m definitely allergic to dust and ragweed, and whatever started blooming today! Good timing for your post!

What am I not allergic to is the question as I get older, haha! I even developed allergies to my allergy medicine, but then I found Flonase and have been saved. My most constant source of allergies is my very sweet rescue cat – he’s worth the sneezes and itchiness though… most of the time 😉

Oh my…….I sympathize with you! I suffer from seasonal allergies, too. I had the scratch tests done and I’m very allergic to cypress and pine trees…..and I live in California…very close to Montery which has ….wait for it…..tons of cypress trees!! Flonase makes my life SO much easier.

I live in Louisiana. Pretty much the same weather and allergies as Texas! LOL! I do frequent Texas quite a bit, since my daughter lives there now and I enjoy visiting as much as possible. Nothing like a hot Texas summer, unless it’s a hot Louisiana summer! Allergies come and go for me. Nothing too terrible. Except for the oak trees! Oak tree allergies will sneak up on me! One evening in the yard, and the next two weeks my throat is swollen. I’ve never tried Flonase, which is really crazy, because Flonase has saved me a lot of $$$. My daughter used it because her tonsils were swollen for years after one case of tonsillitis. As a last resort, before surgery, she tried Flonase and it shrank those tonsils back to normal. Yay for Flonase!

I am lucky to not have allergies! It sounds like a horrible condition, that so many people deal with! I’m glad Flonase helps you. Have you ever tried stinging nettles extract? It’s what my friend uses. Squirt! Under the tongue. Ciao!

Allergies are no fun wherever you are. I too use Flonase but I also use Claritin. My allergies are dust. Three types of dust actually ( who knew there were three types anyway)? Household dust, dust mites and outside kicked up dust. I’m also allergic to sage and a certain type of grass. The sage bums me out because I live in So. Cal and I love the smell of sage where I live especially after a nice rainstorm.

My oldest son has an allergy to pollen and it wreaks havoc during baseball season if he isn’t medicated. Every once in awhile I will see him rubbing his eyes and blinking uncontrollably when he’s playing the field. I feel so bad for him and will definitely try Flonase for those not so pleasant moments!

I rarely suffer from allergies. Every once in a while something will affect me for a short time period. My husband on the other hand, well, he has suffers from allergies in the spring and fall. Every single year. It’s probably pollen, but he refuses to get tested. I’ll have to mention Flonase to him and maybe he can get some relief.

Blech! I’d lived in Texas 4 years before allergy season ever bothered me. Then I got pregnant and about died from allergies (yay for more weird pregnancy symptoms!). Now I get them every spring and I hate it! Thanks for the tip. I haven’t tried flonase yet.

Oh my gosh. I am literally allergic to life. haha. According to the allergist, I am allergic to “cold,” “hot,” “dust,” “pet dander,” and several foods. Literally anything that has preservatives in it. So when I really just want some Doritos, I take a benadryl and eat an entire bag. Sigh. (We have two dogs, chickens, ducks, etc. I live.)

allergies!! ugh! im allergic to cats, dogs, feathers, dusts, molds, and some grasses. i spend a lot of time outdoors and i use Doterra essential oils for allergies and everything else. i used to use flonase in my 20s. it did work.

I’m fortunate to not be allergic to anything but my poor 10 year old son is horribly allergic to the outdoors. Yes the whole outdoors it seems. And of course he’s my outdoorsy kid. We are definitely going to have to give Flonase a try!

The only thing I’ve been officially diagnosed with is Hay Fever, but I live in one of the worst places in the country for allergies. I’m pretty snotty most of the time. I generally just live with it, but sometimes Zyrtec does the trick.

For many years I had no allergies. Then I spent 4 months working in a location with open windows and literally tons of flowers outside. In fact, every few days the tubs of flowers would be replaced with fresh ones so there was an over abundance of pollen. I developed allergies that persist to this day – 30 years later! The reactions are not as strong as they were but they are persistent. Most of the time I do nothing and just sneeze away.

I have several allergies but the one that makes me the most nuts is spring pollen. I am not sure which pollen it is, as I have not been tested, but my eyes get so itchy and dry that I about go insane! hahaha

Pretty sure I’m allergic to olive trees, and there are a lot around here. But my allergies seem to be more mild now than when I was a kid. Still could use something for those times of year when there’s lots of pollen flying around, though!

I had more allergies as a kid. When I was tested the one that showed up the most was olive trees. Although whenever I wear lipstick my throat feels likes it closes up, so maybe I’m allergic to something in lipstick. Thank goodness it’s not nuts. I love nuts! Thanks for the chance to win 🙂

Thank you for all of these tips. My father has always suffered from summer allergies. The first thing we found that helped was actually a nasal spray. It was like you said, it cleared him right up. Thank you for the insights. http://www.dymista.com/

I LOVE the skirt with a sash in maxi-length!! My daughter is begging me for a maxi skirt, but I’m intimidated! Do you have any tips? Do you use the same dimensions from the regular tutorial, just waist to floor length instead of waist to knee? Thanks Dana!! You are the best!